While this university and the surrounding community’s representation on Capitol Hill remains
unchanged through the recent
redistricting process, both city and
university officials came out in support of Rep. Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.)
continued representation of his
alma mater.
After the release of the Census
Bureau’s data last year, the state
was required to redraw its eight
congressional district lines — a
process that has sparked criticism
from many state congressional
Republicans and a select few
Democrats. Last week Gov. Martin
O’Malley (D) signed the new U.S.
Congressional redistricting plan
into law, but several officials said
the bill serves Hoyer’s self-interest
in this university, “disenfranchises
political and ethnic minorities” and
does not represent some areas
well, according to state House
Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell (R-Calvert).
Although the state’s fifth congressional district, which includes this
university,
remained
mostly
unchanged,
Prince
George’s
County, city and university officials
said the plan serves the interests of
its constituents well. Yet the
redrawn lines are subject to change,
pending possible court challenges,
said state Department of Planning
spokesman Andrew Ratner.
However, O’Donnell said continuing the inclusion of both parts of
southern Maryland and the university’s surrounding areas in the fifth
congressional district does not represent voters well, and it was
included to continue allowing
Hoyer to represent his alma mater.
It is not compact and the constituency is sparse, he said.
“We should not be redistricting
based on the vanity of incumbent
congressmen,” O’Donnell said.
Hoyer has represented this

Our 102ND Year, No. 42

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

With guard Pe’Shon Howard injured, the Terps have seven healthy players on
scholarship for the upcoming season. JEREMY KIM/THE DIAMONDBACK

Terrapins men’s basketball sophomore guard Pe’Shon Howard will
miss the next 10 to 12 weeks with a
broken left foot, the team announced
yesterday, in the latest blow to the
already thin program.
Howard, one of just three returning
players who started a game last season, broke a sesamoid, a small bone
under his toe. He had felt pain for the
past week, but the team didn’t discover

the break until Wednesday.
Coach Mark Turgeon had slated
Howard to start at point guard for the
team this year after an impressive
freshman campaign in which he
played in all of the team’s 33 games,
had a game-winning basket and posted
a 1.89 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“I feel bad for Pe’Shon,” Turgeon
said in a press release. “He worked so
hard and had a great summer and
early fall. He’s been practicing and

When Kailin Hsu’s younger
brother was diagnosed with a
rare, aggressive form of bone
cancer, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him a request —

to go on an Alaskan cruise with
his family.
Because she’s seen the positive impact turning a simple
wish into reality can have on a
child sick with cancer, the senior physiology and neurobiology major said she wanted to

become more active in the university’s Maryland Wishes. The
4-year-old, student-run organization hosts events around the
campus to raise funds for the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of the

As climate change and oil companies encroach on the Arctic Chukchi
Sea, two university professors are joining a team of scientists to venture out
to this isolated ecosystem and see
what habitats may be in danger.
Lee Cooper and Jackie Grebmeier
of the university’s Center for Environmental Science have joined a five-year,
$5.6 million study of the Chukchi Sea’s
Hanna Shoal — a shallow, 30-mile-long
area off the coast of northwestern
Alaska. The Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management funded the study to
determine how ecosystems in the area
currently function and how environmental changes are impacting its biodiverse resources.
Cooper said the Shell Oil Company
plans to search for oil in offshore

TOMORROW’S WEATHER:

University professors are working to preserve Arctic walruses, which are
considered to be threatened due to melting ice. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE COOPER

drilling sites close to the Hanna Shoal
area — a zone that is a vital component for bowhead whales’ migration
and walruses’ food sources — starting
this summer. Bowhead whales are
listed under the Endangered Species

Rain/Snow/40s

Act and walruses are considered to be
threatened due to the melting ice.
According to Cooper, these ecosystems have been virtually untouched

see ARCTIC, page 2
INDEX

NEWS . . . . . . . . . .2
OPINION . . . . . . . .4

As state officials continue to
debate merging this university and
the University of Maryland, Baltimore, student governments from
both campuses are questioning
whether a full merger is the right
choice for the institutions.
Legislators from this university’s
Student Government Association
unanimously passed a bill Wednesday night supporting more collaboration between the two institutions,
which have been studied for a possible merger for the last several
months. While this resolution
stopped short of either endorsing or
opposing an actual merger between
the campuses — as proposed by
state Senate President Mike Miller in

FEATURES . . . . . .5
CLASSIFIED . . . . .6

DIVERSIONS . . . . .6
SPORTS . . . . . . . . .8

January — the University Student
Government Association at UMB
voted two weeks ago to oppose a formal merger, while strongly supporting further collaborations.
According to this university’s
SGA, the creation of new joint academic programs and research
between the institutions will be positive, so long as these collaborations
are appropriately funded by the state
General Assembly and would not
increase tuition to attend this university. But Andrew York, the USGA
president at UMB, said his organization took its stance based on a long
list of concerns about the potential
impacts of a merger voiced by students on his campus.
Among other concerns, York said

see MERGER, page 3

www.diamondbackonline.com

2

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011

WISHES
from page 1
Mid-Atlantic, such as a Halloween-spirited pumpkin painting event yesterday afternoon.
“Maryland Wishes is very
near and dear to my heart,”
said Hsu, the organization’s
president. “This means a lot to
me. I’ve seen the patient side
when my brother was going
through chemotherapy, so if
we can help, even just a little, I

ARCTIC
from page 1
by human hands until now.
“It’s an area that’s understudied,” he said. “The tracking that
people have done of both the
bowheads and the walruses indicate that both of these animals
spend a lot of time out in this
area, so there was an interest.”
And with climate changes
melting more and more Arctic ice, environmental preservation groups have voiced
concern that these habitats
are dwindling.
“The rate of ice loss over the
past three years is accelerating
and it is important that we understand the biological responses that are taking place,” the
study’s lead investigator Ken
Dunton, who is also a professor
at the University of Texas at
Austin, wrote in an email.
In August, Cooper and
Grebmeier will embark on a
20-day summer expedition to
collect data samples of water,
animals and sediments. The
research team is negotiating
with the U.S. Coast Guard to

know we can brighten days.”
Throughout the semester,
the group of about 40 students
organizes various events
which consist of basketball
and soccer tournaments and
benefit concerts featuring university student musical, dancing and comedy groups,
according to the group’s
fundraising executive board
member Tasmia Hussain.
Maryland Wishes donated
$3,250 last year to the Make-AWish Foundation and raised

more than $1,000 on a single
basketball tournament last
semester, Hsu said.
“Our primary mission is to
raise money for Make-A-Wish,
but we’ve been trying to do
more community service, too,”
Hsu said, adding the group plans
to visit the oncology ward of a
children’s hospital this winter.
However, Hussain, a sophomore mechanical engineering
major, said it can be challenging to get students to donate
money to the cause. Yester-

secure its largest ship, the
420-foot Healy — a polar icebreaker built specifically for
arctic research.
Different members of the
team will focus on various scientific endeavors, ranging from
physics to biology.
Grebmeier — who will serve
as the team’s lead scientist on
the expedition — will focus her
research on buried food sources
for walruses, gray whales and
bearded seals while Cooper
gathers information on the organic carbon content of sediments. Other researchers will
interpret their data into geographic information systems
maps, Grebmeier said.
Cooper and Grebmeier said
incorporating the local communities — within both Maryland and Alaska — was key for
educational outreach. Cooper
said an elementary school
teacher from La Plata was able
to join them on a previous
cruise in 2010, and she was
able to relay her findings to
her class.
In Alaska, the researchers are
able to interact with the communities personally.

“We go into their schools to
convey what the science is and
address some of their local
questions,” Grebmeier said.
The small communities off
the coast of Alaska, many of
which rely on the Chukchi
Ocean for food, are among
those who are against the
planned offshore drilling sites,
which would include a pipeline
that would run through their
towns, Cooper said.
“This is an area where if you
go up there and visit some of
these local communities, they
don’t have supermarkets, and
there aren’t even cars,” he said.
However, Cooper said as scientists it was important for the
researchers to not let political
views skew their data reports.
“I think one of the challenges
is trying to remain objective
about the science that we’re
doing and allowing it to contribute to policy makers making decisions, while at the same
time providing information
that’s useful to help the government as well as local people,”
he said.
marcot@umdbk.com

CORRECTIONS
Due to a reporting error, yesterday’s article “SGA votes to increase student outreach” incorrectly
stated the amount of money holding meetings in the Prince George’s room instead of the Benjamin
Banneker room in Stamp Student Union would cost the Student Government Association. Because
the Benjamin Banneker room is free, the body would pay a $75 fee each time it used the Prince
George’s room for a meeting.
Due to an editing error, yesterday’s caption for the feature art package “A Halloween kind of night”
incorrectly identified SGA legislator Landon Greer’s title. He is the body’s legislative coordinator.

day’s event cost $5 to paint
pumpkins, drink cider and eat
cookies, and the $200 the
group fundraised went to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“We know a lot of people
won’t want to pay money to
paint pumpkins,” Hussain,
said. “But, it’s a really great
cause. The main goal is to
make money for the kids, and
we just want people to get
involved and help out.”
Matthew Goldfinger, a senior neurophysiology and psy-

chology major who attended
the event, said he’s been
donating to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation since he was in
elementary school.
“I was going to walk right
by, but when I heard it was for
a good cause, I had to stop,”
Goldfinger said. “Make-AWish is one of my favorite
organizations, and I help raise
money for it back home whenever I get the chance.”
Additionally, the group acts
as a support system for those

whose friends or family members have been diagnosed
with a life-threatening disease
at a young age, Hsu said. Her
12-year-old brother is doing
well and recovering from a
surger y that amputated 9
inches of his leg to help rid
his body of the disease.
“It was tough getting through
the school year,” Hsu said. “It’s
hard for others to relate to what
you’re experiencing.”
egan@umdbk.com

THE DIAMONDBACK | NEWS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011

“Students can
expect that
Congressman
Hoyer will
continue to
support the
institution and
fight for funding
for Pell Grants and
efforts that make
college more
affordable.”

REDISTRICTING
from page 1
university for 30 years, and
Rae Grad — assistant to the
president and director of federal relations for this university — said Hoyer has continued to be an advocate for this
university on a national level.
“He’s a strong supporter of
the university and its programs,” she said. “It’s great
to be in his district.”
Mayor Andy Fellows said
he is glad the plan keeps
Hoyer’s
representation
within city limits.
“Time and time again I’ve
seen him be supportive of the
city,” Fellows said. “We’ve
been very pleased with his
representation of us.”
Maureen
Beach
—
Hoyer’s spokeswoman —
wrote in an email that Hoyer
would continue his strong
support of the student body
at this university as well as
the city of College Park.
Beach added in the email
that Hoyer has led efforts to
fund Metro’s Green Line,
which includes a stop in College Park, and has created jobs
in the area by pushing for fed-

3

MAUREEN BEACH
HOYER’S SPOKESWOMAN

eral facilities geared toward the
university’s needs and securing federal funding to implement more research projects.
“University of Mar yland
students can expect that
Congressman Hoyer will
continue to suppor t the
institution and fight for funding for Pell Grants and
ef for ts that make college
more affordable and accessible,” Beach wrote. “College

ALL SHOWS STARTING AT 11:59 AM OR
EARLIER ARE PRICED AT $5.00 PER
GUEST – “EARLY BIRD SHOWS”
ALL SHOWS BETWEEN 12 PM
AND 4:59 PM ARE MATINEES
ALL SHOWS STARTING AT 5 PM OR LATER
ARE REGULAR PRICE
Children $6.00, Seniors $6.50
Adults $8.50, Students $7.50

Park residents can expect to
have a Congressman who
takes seriously their concerns and works in Washington to improve the local
economy, strengthen our
transpor tation network and
protect our environment.”
However, the redistricting
plans have sparked debate
over the county’s representation of its population.
Rep. Donna Edwards (DMd.) of the fourth congressional district — which is
made up of 75 percent
county residents —stated in
a press release that the plan
“is not the best approach for
minority voters.”
However, Prince George’s
County Executive Rushern
Baker (D) said he supported
the redistricting plan in an
Oct. 17 press release.
“The county executive
believes Gov. O’Malley’s plan
could be able to achieve better results for Prince
George’s County,” said Scott
Peterson, the county executive’s spokesman. “It allows
the county to have more concentrated representation on
the Hill.”
bach@umdbk.com

CMNS legislator David Lieb, who co-sponsored the merger resolution, called on SGA legislators
to support further collaborations between UMB and this university. FILE PHOTO/THE DIAMONDBACK

MERGER
from page 1
UMB students worry the university would lose both its unique
identity and fair allocation of resources if a merger occurred.
And because the logistics of a formal merger would not be determined until much further into the
study process, York said the
USGA decided to protect student
interests by declaring opposition
early on to make the Board of Regents aware of these issues.
“We saw this as our opportunity to direct our concerns brought
up by students,” he said. “A lot of
the process happens kind of behind closed doors with limited
opportunities to give feedback. If
we’re just on the sidelines waiting to see what happens, we
won’t be a real player in the conversation at all.”
But SGA President Kaiyi Xie
said because there is such limited
information, it would be preemptive to endorse or oppose a formal
merger at this point.
“There are ways to make your
concerns known without opposing the merger and if you don’t un-

5:10* 7:35*
4:35

7:20

Puss in Boots IN 3D/NO FEE 12:15 2:45

5:25 7:45

The Three Musketeers

11:55 2:35

5:10 7:35

Paranormal Activity

12:15 2:45

5:25 7:45

In Time

11:55 2:35

5:10 7:35

Real Steel

12:15

Johnny English

11:55 2:35

4:35

7:20
5:10

The Thing

7:35

*Not Available on Sunday

No pain.
Diamondback Classified
Ads appear in both print
and online editions – so
your ad gets a double
workout and you can
lounge on your sofa.
Just 35¢ per word, $3.50 minimum. Plus, if you run your ad
four consecutive days, you’ll
receive a fifth day FREE! All ads
appear in both the print and
online versions of The
Diamondback – available at 60
distribution points around
campus and at
diamondbackonline.com.
To place your ad, call 301-3148000 or come to room 3136
South Campus Dining Hall,
Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Or, email
advertising@dbk.umd.edu.

4429 Lehigh Road
301-927-6717

Now accepting Visa, MasterCard & Discover

$1 OFF

Any $5 Purchase

Offer Details: One coupon per party.
Coupon void if altered.

derstand it, you don’t have to take
a stance before more information
comes out,” Xie said. “And without that information, I would not
feel confident to say, ‘We as the
SGA say no to the merger or yes
to the merger.’”
For this reason, SGA legislators drafted their unanimously
passed resolution to focus on
what they said students on both
campuses hope to achieve — new
joint programs and partnerships
between the undergraduate programs on this campus and the
graduate programs at UMB.
“I think there’s a lot to benefit
from this,” CMNS legislator
Godly Jack — who sponsored the
bill — told legislators at Wednesday’s meeting. “We don’t want to
get wrapped up with the logistics
of if there is going to be a merger; I
know there’s a lot of politics involved. We framed this so that
whether there is a merger or not,
we know what we want as students … more access to professional schools in Baltimore.”
The Board of Regents has already hosted two open forums —
one on this campus and one in
Baltimore — for community
members to voice concerns or

support for a merger. The final
forum will be today at 1 p.m. in the
Stamp Student Union. The board
will compose its report on
whether or not to endorse a merger and present it to the General
Assembly by Dec. 15.
University System of Maryland
Chancellor Brit Kirwan declined
to comment on the particulars of
either SGA’s stance, but said their
efforts are an important part of a
process he said he believes will
end in enhanced collaborations
between both universities.
“I’m pleased by how both student governments looked into
this issue with real seriousness,
and their input and advice will
be taken very, very seriously
and are very helpful to the
Board and reaching the final
conclusion,” Kirwan said. “I’m
very sympathetic to the SGA’s
feeling that there’s not enough
information, because we don’t
have that much information. It’s
a work in progress. We’re still
trying to understand what it
would all mean. But there will be
more information as we near the
end of the process.”
villanueva@umdbk.com

epending on whom you ask, total student loan debt in this coun- Santa Claus.”
For decades, education has been part of the American Dream. Children
tr y may or may not exceed $1 trillion. Many media outlets
reported the milestone passed this week, while others contend are raised to believe hard work and a college degree will earn them a wellthere are a couple months to go — but really, what’s a few billion paying job and comfortable lifestyle. But now, faced with a troubled economy and rough job market, students are returning to graduate school in
when we’re talking about a 13-figure number?
What’s certain is that there is now more outstanding student loan debt record numbers. As applicants with advanced degrees snag positions, those
without graduate school find themselves working jobs
than credit card debt in this countr y. Students today
that shouldn’t require a degree — 12 percent of mailare borrowing twice as much as they were only five
men are college-educated, for example — which, in
years ago, and outstanding student loan debt has also
doubled in the same span.
The rising national student turn, makes finding work even more difficult for those
with only a high school diploma.
In 2007, only one college — George Washington
loan debt is regrettable, but
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a meritocracy
University — exceeded the $50,000 mark for annual
full cost of attendance. Today, there are 111. Last year, students must demand more — those with the best education should get the best
jobs. But modern college students are taking out loans
the average in-state tuition and fees at public four-year
options if excessive tuition to pay for much more than an education. Costs have
colleges increased 8 percent.
risen so dramatically in part because schools attract
Put together, the current state of affairs paints a
costs are to be addressed.
students by outspending each other on amenities. At
pretty bleak picture for students across the countr y,
this university, we aren’t just paying for classes. We’re
so it’s no surprise that President Barack Obama
recently announced some changes to payback requirements for federal stu- paying for a gym membership, we’re paying for Dining Ser vices chefs hired
dent loans. Under Obama’s proposal, graduates will have to dedicate less of away from the Ritz-Carlton and in 2010 we paid women’s basketball coach
their discretionar y income — 10 percent versus 15 percent — toward loan Brenda Frese $957,523.
Like all consumers, students want amenities. But the trillion dollars of
repayment, and all remaining debt will be forgiven after 20 years, instead of
loan debt indicates students can’t afford such luxurious surroundings. In
the current 25.
All in all, it’s great news for the up to 1.6 million students who may benefit most situations, consumers have options: If you can’t afford $150 sneakers,
from the program. But there are 36 million student loan borrowers in the find some for $10 — or anywhere in between. Similarly, students can choose
countr y, and private loans are not covered by Obama’s plan. Further, the to avoid private schools — perhaps the most egregious higher education
proposal fails to address a fundamental problem that will continue to plague offenders — but even public schools spend too much and force taxpayers to
foot part of the bill.
students for generations: College is too expensive.
Instead of dozens of price points, students have three: no college, an
PayPal founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel made headlines earlier
this year when he bemoaned what he sees as a higher education bubble. expensive public college, or a really expensive private college. If student
Thiel — who predicted the dot-com Nasdaq bust and the housing market consumers start demanding more options — a great education without
crash — said, “A true bubble is when something is over valued and intensely unnecessar y amenities, for example — perhaps we’ll find a way to tackle risbelieved. Education may be the only thing people still believe in the United ing tuition costs.
Until that happens, Obama’s plan will do little to burst the bubble.
States. To question it is really dangerous … like telling the world there’s no

Our View

Editorial cartoon: Ben Stryker

I

was disappointed with Jessica Jimenez’s approach in
Wednesday’s column, “Halloween: Beware of the
sketchily-clad,” which was uncritical and perpetuated victim-blaming. Sexual assault is the result of
power imbalances, institutional
tolerance and structural violence
— not clothing. Girls have been
the victims of sexual assault while
wearing jeans and T-shirts, militar y uniforms and burkas —
there is not necessarily a strong
correlation between dress and
rate of assault.
Even if there were a strong
connection, it wouldn’t mean girls
shouldn’t have the freedom to
dress how they please. It means
that “scantily clad” girls are
scapegoats who allow us to justify
the behavior of misogynists.
Instead of focusing on what girls
are wearing, why not ask why
guys are harassing and assaulting
them? Participants in the recent
anti-rape protests, called Slutwalks, asked, “Why are we teaching ‘don’t get raped’ rather than
‘don’t rape?’”
Jimenez’s column would have
been more powerful if, instead of
lecturing girls on how to alter
their dress to avoid assaults by
“sketchy people,” she called out
those same “sketchy people” for
objectifying, dehumanizing and
violating girls, or noted how
tragic it is that girls have to modify their dress in order to feel
safer. Regardless of what girls
wear, where they go and what
they do, they are not to blame for
sexual assault. They certainly
should not shoulder the burden
for preventing it.
MEGAN BAILEY
GRADUATE STUDENT
ANTHROPOLOGY

1 percent of people have all of the awesome

F

or the past year, I have
scrounged a comfortable living working at the local
Jimmy John’s. Aside from
exposing myself to the dark side of
College Park, the experience has been
insightful. I learned how a late-night
sandwich shop is profoundly affected
when one of the largest bars in town is
shuttered next door. I learned how to
deal with all kinds of unreasonable
customers — from the very drunk to
the very cheap. And when there was
downtime, my boss explained the
numbers he was always poring over.
Learning was my bonus, working was
my job — because I’m an American.
What are you?
For my next job, I’m headed to a
lawyer’s office, where my destiny is
unknown. Maybe I’ll learn a lot.
Maybe I’ll learn how to make coffee.
But you know what? My resume is
going to be looking spiffy. And that
makes up for earning only half the
money I did at Jimmy John’s.
Obviously, there are times when we
must humble ourselves for the promise of a better future. That’s what I had

GREG
NASIF
to do, and someday, you’ll get to do it
too, if you ever hope to be as awesome
as I am. If you can’t afford to do that,
well, you’re a loser.
So when I see the Facebook statuses of my fellow fraternity brothers bemoaning those “occupying”
McKeldin Mall, the Baltimore Inner
Harbor or Wall Street itself as “hippies” or “communists” and telling
them to “get a job” I make a point of
liking those statuses. Jobs are everywhere, you dust-bunnies. Stop pretending working the McDonald’s
drive-thru can’t cover your student
loans plus all your daily, weekly and
monthly expenses. You’re wasting
your time, because as we all know,
protesting never makes a difference
— ever. I bet you didn’t even ask
your parents for money. Losers.

When it comes down to it, protesters are generally the kind of people
you wouldn’t want to hang out with.
Arrogant, demanding, loud and unreasonable, their image makes empathizing with their cause very difficult
indeed. And it’s well-known that if you
can’t befriend someone, you certainly
can’t agree with them politically, and
you must completely oppose everything they stand for. In this case, it
means supporting the continuing corporate takeover of our country.
Don’t listen to these occupiers.
Their unemployment is their own
fault: The sluggish economy is simply
the result of workers trying to spite
their masters — I mean, bosses/job
creators — by sabotaging their companies. They should have prepared
themselves for this financial disaster,
which everybody saw coming. How
do they do that? Easy — don’t pursue
majors that focus on the hurting fields,
like math, science, business, arts, government, teaching, accounting, economics or journalism.
Did I mention you should have
made these decisions when you

were 17? What’s that? You didn’t
know what financial firms were planning in boardrooms? You were busy
being a teenager? What are you,
some kind of hippie?
Show a little gratitude. These corporations made the shirts on your backs.
And if you really have a problem with
the way some of these industries pollute the air, stop breathing. After all,
the financial industry could have stuck
with destroying itself, but instead it
took down the entire economy. At
least they believe in equal justice for
all. If I try really hard, I can kind of see
where these hippies are coming from.
Maybe these protests will raise the
minimum wage enough that my law
firm job will pay as much as Jimmy
John’s. Maybe they’ll actually prevent
the total implosion of our economy. If
that’s the case, then “go protesters!”
Just know that whether you’re for or
against me, I’m not joining you. I’m
busy sailing, and pretending there’s
still a future for me.
Greg Nasif is a senior history major. He
can be reached at nasif@umdbk.com.

Halloween: A collegiate case study

H

alloween has always been
one of my favorite holidays, and I think many
people share my feelings.
I have so many great memories of Halloween — like my white Power
Rangers costume and the time my
friends and I were sure we were going
to be murdered in an abandoned
wheat field — I can’t even keep them
all straight. But how can a holiday that
differs so much in practice from childhood to adulthood consistently make
people of all ages happy?
Perhaps the beauty of Halloween
stems from the freedom inherent in it.
For kids, it is a night to run around in
the dark, go up to as many strangers
as you want and pig out on sugary
goodness. When trick-or-treating
stops being an option, it is about staying up all night with friends, watching
horror movies and stuffing yourself
with pizza. Then, in college, it signifies a weekend of partying, when red
Solo cups are replaced with their

orange counterparts (in particularly
spirited houses) and booze is preferred over “boos!”
Costumes for girls range greatly,
from the conservatively scandalous —
which cover two square feet of their
bodies — to scandalously conservative, which shamelessly shield a whole
three feet. Boys can essentially wear
whatever they want, as long as they
can justify it with a few words. This
works for everything: full suits and
shades (“I’m a hitman!”), to bed
sheets (“You like my toga?”) to plaid
shirts with skinny jeans (“I’m a hipster. It’s ironic because, in real life, I’m
also a hipster.”).
A common critique of our society is
that we often forget the significance or
importance of a holiday when celebrating it. Giving thanks is rarely the
focal point of Thanksgiving, and many
see Christmas as either a day for
exchanging presents or a musical
genre. However, Halloween is unique
among holidays in that it has no truly

RAJARSHI
CHATTOPADHYAY
significant historical or religious association. Though some believe it originated from the Christian All Saints
Day and others claim it began with the
Celtic festival of Samhain, these potential origins affect a very small number
of people who celebrate the day.
Instead, it is essentially a commercial holiday filled with pranks, friends,
elaborate decorations and well
thought out costumes (yet, inexplicably, you will see at least five Waldos
and 10 crayons throughout the night).
Even the notable social commentator Charlie Brown, who annually
speaks out against the corruption of
Christmas and the unfair societal
pressures of Valentine’s Day, has no

criticisms of Halloween. Instead, he
goes to the dance with the little redhaired girl, leaving Linus to wait for
the Great Pumpkin. To Charlie
Brown, there is no deeper significance to the holiday, and maybe that
is what makes it so great.
Instead of worrying about carrying
out slightly archaic traditions or making sure nobody thinks you are celebrating it “wrong,” Halloween is a
night to just do what you want. It is the
one day in the year when no decoration is too elaborate, no costume is too
offensive and nobody can tell you
what you are doing is not in the spirit
of the holiday. There are absolutely no
Debbie Downers on Halloween to
dampen the mood — in fact, Scrooge
McPumpkin only exists as a horrible
costume idea.
Rajarshi Chattopadhyay is a sophomore
aerospace engineering and history
major. He can be reached at
chattopadhyay@umdbk.com.

Walking
slow for a
reason

I

am writing in response to
Sam Spiegelman’s article
“Pedestrians: Saving pace”
in Tuesday’s issue of The
Diamondback. I too used to be
enraged,
annoyed,
inconvenienced and generally stressed
out by slow-walkers. In my undergrad years, I think I was even in a
Facebook group with a title something to the effect of “I want to
punch slow-walkers in the back of
the head.” So I get it, I really do.
But today, just before reading
Spiegelman’s article, I noticed
while walking to McKeldin
Librar y that I had become a slowwalker myself. I watched, horrified, as harried students came up
quickly behind me, then passed if
they could. Since becoming pregnant, I have developed Symphysis
Pubis Dysfunction (SPD), which
basically means walking hurts,
taking the stairs hurts — heck,
even sitting still hurts.
If you saw me on the campus,
you might not notice I’m pregnant, especially if I am wearing a
bulky sweater or coat. You might
assume I am a dreaded slowwalker, put in front of you just to
make your life difficult. But
instead, just like other people
with “invisible” diseases, disorders, injuries or disabilities, I
have a reason to walk slowly.
You really have no way of
knowing if that slow-walker in
front of you is suffering from
SPD, a broken coccyx, a sprained
lumbar, severe asthma, chronic
fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,
neuropathy or any of a host of
conditions that can and do affect
those around you.
Yes, even young, fit-looking college students. Not all physical ailments are visible. While our
physical discomforts surely don’t
make us any less annoying if you
are stuck following, hopefully
keeping this point in mind can
help alleviate some of the discomfort caused by the “slow but
steady death sentence” we condemn you to.
MEGHAN SOMMERS
GRADUATE STUDENT
MUSICOLOGY

POLICY: Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.

orn today, you are destined
for greatness, but you are
also likely to be subjected to
periods of disappointment that
could very well be too much for
you if you are not deeply committed to staying the course and
doing everything you can to succeed. You may have to overcome
one or two serious weaknesses;
once you do, however, you are
likely to find that the world is
your oyster — but you will always
have to keep your own personal
demons at bay.

To see what is in store for you
tomorrow, find your birthday and
read the corresponding paragraph. Let your birthday star be
your daily guide.

TODAY’S CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY:

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
— You may be trying to overcomplicate matters today when
you know full well that a simple
approach is almost always best.
Why is this?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
— You can bet that things are
likely to develop so quickly
today that you are not able to
keep up with them 100 percent.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) —
You are changing your plans
according to changing circumstances, but someone is likely
to step in and do you a big and
important favor.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) —
Pay attention to what a Scorpio
or Pisces native is doing today
— and if you know two who are
working together, by all means
join the team.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) —
You may feel as though everyone else is getting you down,
when in fact your current mood
is the result of a failure to get
moving.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) —
Making a start will prove the

Every Monday &
Tuesday for only

6.00

$

Sun.-Thurs. 11 am-9 pm
Fri. & Sat. 11 am-10 pm

NEW CARTOONIST WANTED

{

Get an Elevation Burger Single or Double Patty
with or without cheese, a Single Patty Veggie
Burger with or without cheese, or a Vegan Burger,
+ a Fountain Drink and a Sample Fry
“Just come in and ask for the $6.00 meal!”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21) — Even though you are
completely able to do certain
things by yourself, you may still
want the advice of an expert.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) —
You may find yourself distracted by those who are intentionally tempting you — so do what
you can to keep your focus on
your chosen tasks.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Not
everyone around you will respond favorably to your own
behavior today — and you’ll
surely wonder why. Put your
pride aside and ask questions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) —
You may have to go with plan B
today, since circumstances are
not favorable to your primary
methods. The results will surprise you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) —
Trust is likely to figure prominently today, and where trust is
lacking, you will have to fight
several negative impulses.

COPYRIGHT 2011
UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE SPONSORED BY:

HAPPY
HOUR

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) —
Others may treat the day’s
events as unusual and dramatic
— but you know that the truly
dramatic developments are
still around the corner.

most difficult part of the day;
once forward motion has
begun, you’ll progress quickly
past many obstacles.

Fill in the grid so that
every row, every
column and every 3x3
grid contains the digits
1 through 9.
Previous Day’s Puzzle Solved:

Degree of Difficulty:
HARD

TODAY’S SUDOKU PUZZLE SPONSORED BY:

6

THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES:

Diversions

arts. music. living. movies. weekend.

If you would rather not waste your time/money/time money on In Time, the Shrek spin-off
Puss in Boots is in theaters. Staff writer Warren Zhang calls the cute animated film both
“enjoyable” and “unpretentious.” If you absolutely must waste your time money, go see
Roland Emmerich’s (2012) pathetic attempt at period piece drama, Anonymous. The Rum
Diary, starring Johnny Depp, features the beautiful scenery of Puerto Rico, but is ultimately
forgettable. The much-hyped Martha Marcy May Marlene opens in Washington today —
viewers searching for disturbing indie drama need look no further. For full reviews of all
these films, check out Diversions online at WWW.DIAMONDBACKONLINE.COM.

REVIEW | IN TIME

Money isn’t
everything
In Time fails in concept and execution
Weis (Amanda Seyfried, Red Riding Hood)
hostage and make a daring escape back in
ghetto-ville.
During this lovely little jaunt, Will
In Time doesn’t feel like the work of
explains to Sylvia his newly conwriter-director Andrew Niccol (Lord
cocted wealth (remember, time is
of War).
money) redistribution/bank heist
No, In Time feels like what would
scheme, and the two set off to right
happen if James Bond watched
wrongs, make love and defeat capiLogan’s Run and Soylent Green
talism, or something.
whilst high on crack-cocaine and
In Time is a master class in bad
then decided to make a sci-fi reintermovie writing and logic. For instance,
pretation of Robin Hood: Men in Tights
how and why Sylvia turned from panwith a healthy dash of Upton Sinclair’s
icked hostage victim to Will’s love interest
The Jungle.
is unclear. Also, the mechanics for the whole
This metaphor, of course, assumes that in this
alternate universe James Bond believes making time-is-money system doesn’t hold to scrutiny —
puns off of the word and concept of time was the the proletarians in this universe must be profoundly
stupid to not realize the egregious harm this system
height of comedic wit.
Lame puns might be acceptable in lame chil- imposes on their economic strata.
Taken as a vague allegory for the current ecodren’s movies (see: Dolphin Tale), but they are
totally out of place in a high-concept science fiction nomic crisis, yeah, In Time kind of loosely works,
mediation on the evils of capitalism. They under- but the goofiness of the concept and the dialogue
mine the very serious underpinnings of In Time, in really overwhelms any of the movie’s thought-provoking properties.
addition to making the movie feel disjointed.
The script’s atrocious, pun- and expositionIn Time charts the socialist awakening of Will
laden dialogue drags all princiSalas (Justin Timberlake,
pal cast members down with it
Friends with Benefits), a downV
E
R
D
I
C
T
:
into an abyss of stiff, wooden
trodden proletarian living in a
In Time is a tedious, overlong and emoting, with the exception of
futuristic world where folks
unfocused allegory that, despite
Cillian Murphy’s (Retreat)
stop aging when they reach 25,
having
Olivia Wilde star as Justin
delightfully arrogant take on a
and must earn additional years
Timberlake’s mother, fails
by-the-books cop.
of life through working, i.e.,
spectacularly on several levels.
On a more positive note, Nictime is money.
col does show some talent at
Will has his eyes opened by a
mysterious and suicidal rich man who, before directing the good, if unoriginal, action sequences
donating all of his time (remember, time is money) and car chases. He and cinematographer Roger
to Will and killing himself, gives a monologue expli- Deakins also deserve credit for shooting the most
film-like digital footage I have ever seen.
cating certain fairly obvious economic concepts.
Niccol also must be given mad props for engiAll, however, is not rosy, as the fuzz are now in
hot pursuit of Will on the basis of security camera neering a scenario in which Olivia Wilde (Cowboys
footage placing him at the scene of the death. So, a & Aliens) plays Timberlake’s mother.
But while Murphy’s performance and Deakin’s
rich (remember, time is money) Will strolls on into
the rich gated community to avoid the cops and photography are quite good, there just isn’t
enough time in the day for me to recommend
screw the wealthy (figuratively and literally).
Eventually, he stumbles into a party held at a very watching In Time.
wealthy banker’s house when the coppers arrive.
He’s forced to take the well-endowed heiress Sylvia chzhang@umdbk.com
BY WARREN ZHANG
Staff writer

Marketing Associate
Need a part time job making $12-20
per hour? We are looking for money
motivated college students to join our
marketing team. Perfect job for full
and part time students.
www.potomacviewenergy.com
Contact Chris at 410-795-3110
Bartending! $250/day potential. No experience
necessary.
Training
available.
1-800-965-6520 x116.
STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM. Paid survey takers needed in College Park. 100% free to
join! Click on surveys.
MOVIE EXTRAS to stand in background for
a major film. Earn up to $300/day. Experience not required. All looks needed.
877-457-1390.
WEBSITE AND MARKETING DESIGN. We
distribute ventless dryers and other energy
saving products to multi-family industry. Our
sites – www.creativelaundry.com and
www.thepanstand.com – need help. Looking
for balance of marketing, internet and
graphic abilities. Potential for permanent
part-time position. Write to
sales@creativelaundry.com.

CHILD CARE
AFTER SCHOOL BABYSITTER NEEDED 2
days/week in Silver Spring for 8 and 12 yr.
old. Must have own transportation w/valid
driver’s license and excellent driving record.
If interested, please contact Lisa at
ljades@me.com.

and then go out, and so I was just
really relieved it went in. Then, I was
really excited. Senior night’s the best
gift to give the seniors and just a great
way to end the regular season.”
Eleven Terps were honored
before the game for their contributions to a team that went from an
ACC also-ran to one of the top pro-

grams in the country during their
time in College Park.
The seniors knew they might not
ever take the field again in their collegiate careers unless they did what
they needed to last night. Now,
after officially extending their season, the Terps will play at Virginia
on Sunday in the first round of the
ACC Tournament.
“This game was huge for our confidence, for our team, for our whole
aura,” said forward Ashley Grove, a
senior. “It was huge. We couldn’t
have asked for a better result.
There’s no better feeling than winning on senior night, no less beating
UNC in overtime, so climactic like
that. Beautiful, beautiful crowd. It
was an awesome moment.”
And while relief and joy washed
over the Terps after Kaplan’s golden
goal, the result was in doubt for the
majority of the game.
North Carolina (11-4-1, 6-3-1)
jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 15th
minute after midfielder Amber
Brooks served a ball in to forward
Courtney Jones on a free kick. Jones
headed the ball past Terps goalkeeper Yewande Balogun, who dived
and had the ball squirt out of her
hands and across the goal line.
From there, the Tar Heels didn’t
slow down, outshooting the Terps 11-4
in the first and 18-13 for the game.

Balogun, however, made seven saves
and denied North Carolina any
chance of extending its lead.
“I know we’re a good team,” Pensky said after the Terps secured their
second victory in program history
against the Tar Heels. “We’ve been
saying it all season long. But it’s
tough as a coach and as a leader to
continue to say, ‘Come on, we just
have to believe. Come on, it’s going to
come. Come on. Believe. Just keep
fighting through it.’ You need to hang
your hat on a result. You need to see
something tangible.”
Pensky said that going forward, his
team needs to stay grounded in order
to avoid a result such as last Sunday’s
3-1 loss at Duke, where the Terps
were dominated in the second half
and didn’t record a shot in the final 45
minutes. The Terps lost, 4-1, at the
Cavaliers on Sept. 15, a result Grove
said has stayed with the team the
entire season.
“I can speak for the whole team
when I say we’re super excited,”
Grove said. “We know Virginia wasn’t us. Who showed up that game, I
don’t know. We’re super excited to
play that game. We have momentum
back. We have confidence back. We
have everything and I’m ecstatic to
play Virginia.”

or sophomore guard Mychal
Parker could make a move into the
starting lineup.
However he splits up the rotation,
Turgeon won’t have much experience to rely on this season. If he
were to split up the 200 minutes per
game equally among the team’s
seven scholarship players, each
would average more than 28 per
game. Only departed forwards Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory
averaged more than that a year ago,
and only Stoglin played for that long
in any single game last year.
Parker, forwards James Padgett
and Ashton Pankey and center
Berend Weijs combined for just 23.1
minutes per game a year ago. Each
of them could surpass that individu-

ally this season.
The lack of depth already has Turgeon worried.
“Terrell can’t play 40 minutes
ever y game,” Turgeon told The
Washington Post yesterday. “That’s
where the big problem is, so we’ll
do it by committee. If there’s good
timing, it’s good that it happened at
this time in the year. I felt like we
were really practicing well —
Pe’Shon, especially.”
If the sophomore heals according
to the current timetable, he would
return to the team in mid-January, in
time for the start of the Terps’ ACC
schedule. At the team’s media day
earlier this month, Howard spoke of
his excitement to pick up from
where he finished last year.

Over the summer, he played with
several NBA stars, including Kevin
Durant, Michael Beasley, Carmelo
Anthony and John Wall in games
through the Goodman League, a
basketball league in Southeast
Washington consisting of athletes
ranging from high schoolers to professionals.
Howard said he expected to play
a big role in his second year in College Park.
“I’m trying to be a leader,”
Howard said. “Even though I’m a
sophomore, I’m one of the veterans
on the team.”
Instead, he’ll be stuck cheering
from the sidelines.

too. We’ve seen long throws in situations that call for runs, draws on third
and long, back-shoulder fades at the
goal line and screen passes. Oh, the
screen passes. The only thing the
Terps have more of than uniform combinations are screen passes.
But the screen passes aren’t working. And neither is the offense.
Even so, Edsall isn’t pointing any fingers at Crowton.
“Gary Crowton is a good coordinator.
And Gary Crowton is very capable of
doing a job. And I think if you look at his
resume, it proves that out,” Edsall said.
“Gary Crowton is doing a good job and
is going to continue to do a good job.”
Crowton has a checkered past, featuring stops at several major college programs and even a job in the NFL. He
coached highly ranked offenses at BYU,
and he even won a national championship with LSU in 2007. But fans have
been happy to see him leave at most of
those spots after offensive issues.
It would be great to talk to Crowton
himself about the offense, ask him what
he’s trying to do, what he sees in the
two quarterbacks and evaluate the year.
But he’s been off limits to the media
since the summer, which isn’t helping
matters. And asking Edsall for information on the offense is like trying to
get missile codes from a CIA agent.
After all, as Edsall has pointed out,
he’s not calling the plays. Crowton is.
“I like our scheme. I like what we’re
doing. And it’s only going to get better.
And again, I think the biggest thing is
that there’s just been inconsistency,”
Edsall said. “I mean, take a look at the
Miami game. Take a look at the Clemson, you take a look at the second half
of West Virginia.
“That’s the thing. You see progress.
Is it as much progress as I would have
liked to see so far? No, there’s been too
much inconsistency. And that’s my job,
to figure out and keep working on handling those inconsistencies.”
Some have speculated that Crowton’s offense is simply too complicated
for the college game. There’s no questioning the success he’s had in the
past, and even at times this year. But
it’s fair to wonder how much of the
offensive struggles fall at his feet.
Even if Crowton is a fine offensive
coordinator, his style simply doesn’t fit
here. Not yet, anyway. Maybe in a few
years, the team will have the type of
players needed to run a spread offense.
But they don’t now, and maybe that
should have been considered before
he was brought to College Park.

With time winding down in last
night’s game and the Terrapins
women’s soccer team trailing 1-0, forward Hayley Brock gained possession of the ball 20 yards from North
Carolina’s goal, skirted past three
defenders and put the ball in the bottom right corner, past a diving Anna
Sieloff into the North Carolina goal.
But as the No. 16 Terps pulled even
with the No. 11 Tar Heels, another
scene was unfolding 130 miles away
in Charlottesville, Va.; No. 9 Virginia
had scored two goals in the final 11
minutes of play to beat Miami, 2-0,
guaranteeing the Terps’ place in the
ACC Tournament.
Terps coach Brian Pensky knew
this. His team didn’t. And he kept it
that way as they prepared for overtime, not wanting to back into the postseason on a three-game losing streak.
Seven minutes later, midfielder
Becky Kaplan took a pass from forward Sade Ayinde on the left side and
put a shot by Sieloff, tucking it inside
the far post to give the Terps (10-4-4,
4-4-2, ACC) not only a 2-1 senior night
win but also the No. 7 seed in the
ACC Tournament.
“First reaction was, ‘Thank God I
didn’t hit the post,’” Kaplan said. “It
looked like it was going to hit the post

HOWARD
from page 1
playing well for us. Hopefully, we’ll
get a lot better by the time Pe’Shon
joins the team later this year.”
The loss has put the first-year
coach in an even more difficult position. He lost forward Haukur Palsson
to a professional career overseas this
season, and without Howard, Turgeon has just seven healthy, eligible
scholarship players to open the season. The Terps still haven’t received
word from the NCAA regarding the
status of freshman center Alex Len.
Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin
is expected to shift to point guard,
while freshman guard Nick Faust

Get the latest on hoops
For updates from the Terps men’s basketball
team’s first open scrimmage of the year, make
sure to check out TerrapinTrail.com tomorrow.

TERPSGAMEDAY

THE MATCHUP

Maryland
Terrapins

Boston College
Eagles

2-5 (1-3 ACC)

1-6 (0-4 ACC)

WHEN: Tomorrow, 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Byrd Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet
LINE: Terps by 7.5
DATA: In addition to star running back Montel
Harris, Boston College has been without top
wideout Ifeanyi Momah for much of this year.

TERPSTRACKER
2011 TEAM STATS
TERPS
Passing (YPG)
Rushing (YPG)
Total (YPG)
Points per game
Opponents’ PPG
Avg. Time of Possession

215.0
168.3
383.3
25.0
31.4
25:40

BC
197.0
114.3
311.3
18.7
26.3
29:20

FRESH LEAK
With Terrapins football starting wide
receiver Kevin Dorsey still out with an
injury, coach Randy Edsall will start
true freshman Marcus Leak for a second consecutive week tomorrow.
Leak became the first true freshman
wideout to start for the Terps in six
years, and quickly showed his worth
against Florida State last week. He finished with a career high in catches
(eight) and yards (61), along with a
late touchdown.
“I thought Marcus played well for his
first start,” Edsall said. “There are some
things that we still need to work on with
him technically, but I think Marcus will
get better with the more that he plays.”
“I think he’s going to be a big-time
player for us,” quar terback C.J.
Brown said.

Despite losing three games in a row, coach Randy Edsall said of his Terps program: “I have the mindset that I want to try to recruit better
and better every year. … If I wasn’t doing that, then they should fire me, they should get rid of me.” CHARLIE DEBOYACE/THE DIAMONDBACK

HARTSFIELD BACK
While the depleted Terps defense
received some bad news this week when
the team announced linebacker Kenny
Tate would not return to the field this season, the team can at least take solace in the
return of middle linebacker Demetrius
Hartsfield. The physical junior was not
listed on the team’s injury report last night.
Hartsfield, right, who hasn’t played since
leaving in the third quarter of the Terps’
Oct. 8 loss to Georgia Tech with an
apparent leg injury, averaged 10
tackles over the first five games of
the season and should help take
some pressure off a defensive
corps that relied on three
freshmen two weeks ago.
“The thing we’re going to
have to be able to do defensively is stop the run
game and play action
game of Boston College, a
ball-control game,” coach
Randy Edsall said yesterday. “We’re going to have to stand
in there and play good, sound, fundamental football and be physical.”

SERIES HISTORY
ALL-TIME SERIES
LAST MEETING

Eagles lead 5-3
2010

LAST MEETING
2010 — (A)

W, Terps 24, Eagles 21

KEY MATCHUP

Senior staff writer

In a break from his normally evenkeeled form, Randy Edsall made a
rare admission after last weekend’s
41-16 drubbing by Florida State.
“We just don’t match up with the
speed and athleticism of Clemson
and Florida State,” the Terrapins
football coach said, “and that’s what
we’re going to have to do from a
recruiting standpoint.”
It may sound obvious, especially
after he saw the Terps get physically
manhandled by the Tigers and the
Seminoles in consecutive weeks.
And though Edsall made one
thing clear — to compete with the
best, you need the best talent —
the problem for the first-year
coach now becomes just how to
sell a program that may well be
on its way to missing a bowl for
the second time in three seasons.
“To me, this is a great institution
academically and you can come in
here and get an education and a
degree that has meaning to it,” Edsall
said. “You can come here and play in
an offense that’s going to work to get
the ball to its playmakers in space and

Right pieces,
wrong plan?
JEREMY

TERPS RB DAVIN MEGGETT
VS. BC LB LUKE KUECHLY
Just two players have
eclipsed the century mark
in tackles this season. One
of them — Boston College
linebacker Luke Kuechly
— will be suited up in
Byrd Stadium tomorrow.
The junior not only leads the country
in tackles, he has 18 more than the nexthighest player. This season, Kuechly
has averaged more than 16 per game
and had a game-high 19 against Virginia
Tech last week.
Although the Eagles sit at the bottom
of the ACC this season, Kuechly is
arguably the conference’s top defensive
playmaker. He’s also one of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given annually
to the nation’s top linebacker.
He’ll look to stop Terps running
back Davin Meggett, who hasn’t
enjoyed quite the senior season
he was hoping for. In seven games
this season, he has 526 rushing
yards and three touchdowns.
Meggett, right, ran for just 44
yards last week at Florida State as
the Terps turned to their passing game early to try and
make up an early deficit.

you’re going to play on a defense
that’s going to be aggressive, and
you’re going to have opportunities
because whoever’s the best guys are
going to play.”
Still, it’s no secret: The easiest way
to sell a program is with wins.
With the Terps in a downward
spiral after three consecutive losses,
tomorrow’s game against a scuffling Boston College squad presents
them with an opportunity to get
back on track.
They do have the advantage of
sporting Under Armour’s newest
threads and the impending construction of a state-of-the-art indoor
practice facility.
But considering the fact that any
push the Terps’ attention-grabbing
Labor Day victory over Miami gave
them in recruiting has since dwindled to next to nothing, Edsall and
the Terps must now find a way to
reignite some excitement around a
program that hasn’t beaten a ranked
team since 2008 or competed for an
ACC Championship in a decade.
“You see that young guys are playing early, and we haven’t really hit
where we can be yet,” said quarterback Danny O’Brien, who’s been

SCHNEIDER

F

or yet another week,
the starting quarterback for the Terrapins
football team is in
question. When Boston College
rolls into town for tomorrow’s
matchup, we still won’t know
who will be under center: the
passer, Danny O’Brien, or the
scrambler, C.J. Brown.
All right, more quarterback
controversy! Just what a team in
turmoil needs. As much fun as it
is to try and squeeze an answer
out of coach Randy Edsall every
week, the quarterback position isn’t the biggest question
surrounding this team.
The bigger cloud
hovering over this
team is, Just what
exactly are the Terps trying
to do on offense? When Edsall
was hired, fans expected a prostyle, grind-it-out offensive
attack. That’s what he did at
Connecticut, and the pieces
were in place here with a
pocket-passer quarterback, a

stable of physical running
backs and an experienced
offensive line.
But Edsall diverted from his
previous styles to hire Gary
Crowton as offensive coordinator, an acolyte of the spread
offense, in a move that looks
more and more questionable
by the week.
Even though the offense
looked stellar on the season’s
opening night, a sobering truth
surfaced in the weeks following: The Terps don’t really have
the personnel for Crowton’s
type of offense. The offensive
line isn’t athletic enough. The
receivers aren’t fast enough.
The best quarterback on the
roster is a pocket passer.
Yes, Brown is a good fit for
the spread. He’s fast enough to
make plays with his legs. But
he wasn’t supposed to be this
team’s quarterback; O’Brien
was. Edsall knew this when he
took the job, and still tried to
stick him in an offense that
wasn’t conducive to success.
Not only does it seem like a
mismatch from a personnel
standpoint, but the play calling
has been highly questionable,

see SCHNEIDER, page 7

heavily involved in recruiting, including the recruitment of freshman running back Justus Pickett. “Once we
do that, it’ll be a lot easier to sell.
You’ve got to win to get good recruits,
there’s no secret to that.
“We just want to win, and all that
stuff will take care of itself. Winning
programs get better players and are
seen in a more positive light than losing teams. That’s just kind of the reality of sports, in general.”
The Eagles, on paper, should give
the Terps that opportunity. With
their best player, running back
Montel Harris, sidelined for the season, the Eagles are averaging an
ACC-worst 18.7 points per game.
And while their defense is, as
usual, physical — Luke Kuechly,
one of the nation’s best linebackers,
leads the way — the Eagles (1-6, 0-4
ACC) have yet to beat an FCS opponent this season.
But as the Terps (2-5, 1-3) proved
in an embarrassing 38-7 loss to Temple earlier this season, they simply
aren’t talented enough to take any
opponent for granted.
“You can only look at Boston College,” quarterback C.J. Brown said.
“We only have one more win than

they do, so there’s not too much we
can look past.”
The first seven games of this season have been far from what Edsall
would have hoped for in his first season in College Park, and the Terps’
preseason goal of an Orange Bowl
appearance has come and gone.
Bowl eligibility still remains
plenty attainable for the Terps, but
the rest of this season may have further-reaching implications down
the road.
If they’re able to win now, it could
help thrust them into the ACC’s
upper echelon in the coming years.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of any
program,” Edsall said. “I think what
all these people have to understand
is, just like in any profession, any
business, every year, you’re trying to
upgrade your business or your
organization.
“So, every year, I have the mindset
that I want to try to recruit better and
better every year. And that’s not a
knock on anybody that’s here,
because if I wasn’t doing that, then
they should fire me, they should get
rid of me.”
cwalsh@umdbk.com

2HEAD

HEAD
OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Despite a possible twoperson platoon at quarterback this week, the Terps
still offer much more offensively than
the Eagles. Boston College is without
star running back Montel Harris, who
had knee surgery at the beginning of
the season. It also doesn’t have a consistent backup or prolific passing attack.

The Terps haven’t been
very good, but somehow the
Eagles have been worse this
season. Boston College has allowed 27
or more points in all but two of its
games this season and hasn’t been
able to stop the run (165.6 yards per
game allowed) or the pass (262.7 yards
per game allowed).

SPECIAL TEAMS

COACHING

The Terps are still struggling on special teams, as
made evident at Florida
State last Saturday. Boston
College kicker Nate Freese
has connected on nine of 12
field goal attempts this season, while Terps kicker Nick Ferrara
is 8-for-11.

Neither Terps coach
Randy Edsall nor Eagles
coach Frank Spaziani has
had the type of season he
likely envisioned back in
September.
The
two
coaches have won just
three of their 11 combined games
this season.

INTANGIBLES

PREDICTION

The Terps have lost five of
their past six games and are
still in the middle of a quarterback controversy.
But if any ACC program is in worse
shape right now, it has to be Boston
College. Aside from linebacker Luke
Kuechly, there aren’t many Eagles
worth watching.